Sausage machinery



July 20, 1937.` c. LlsBERG 2,087,673

sAUsAGE MACHINERY Filed Dec.. 25, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented July 20, 1937 sAUsAGE MACHINERY Crist Lisgberg, Chicago, Ill. V Application Dflacenriber 23, vv1935, SerialNm 55,747Y f 6 Claims.

This invention relates particularly to apparatus for supporting and measuring link sausage or sausage of the type commonly known as frankfurters, during the link forming or twisting operations, and also to means whereby, the completed sausages may be conveniently removed from the machine in order to carryrthe samel to the smokehouse. Heretofore various methods have been used in connection with the forming of the links,

one of the same employing rectangular reels of fixed or rigi d construction upon which the sausage is mounted'or wound. However, the use of such fixed or rigid reels has been found objectionable as it requires a large number of sizes for different lengths offrankfurters and these also take Vup considerable space in the smoke-house cage and during storage.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved measuring and supporting reel or apparatus for use in the .manufacture of link sauf sages; to provide a collapsible reel which is adapted to support asmoke stick for the sausages whereby the completed sausages may be readily removedV fromthe reel and carried to the smokehouse; to provide a reel or winding apparatus which may be adjusted for measuring different lengths of link sausages; and .to provide such other improvements in construction andadvantages in operation as will appear more fully from` 30' the following description.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention, i

Figure 1 is a side view showing the reelk in Icollapsed position and showing a smoke stick in position to be mounted thereon, .parts being .broken awayfor convenience in illustration;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the reel ex-` tended or adjusted for the longest links and with the smoke stick in position;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional View taken on line 3 3 of Figure Y2 and showing the rst steps in the use of -the same; Y Y

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a number of completed links;

Figure 5 is a side View showing a portion ofthe pivoted at I4 on the base II and is adapted tobe swung out to open position as shown in Figure '7. It is held in operative position by a lock bolt I5 which is carried on a handle I6 and projects through a hole Il in the bottom'of the bearing and engages with a hole I8 in the base.

A shaft I9 is rotatably mounted in the bearing I2and is held against longitudinal movement by means of collars-2@ which are yaixed thereto.

The opposite end of theshaft engages with an open recess 2l in the bearing lI3 'as shown in Figure 9,' which permits the swingingA Yof such bearing. .Y ,l

A sleeve 22 is secured tothe shaft I 9 adjacent to the bearingr I2.and is provided with a spider having a plurality of lugsorprcjections 23 which are pivotally connected with toggle arms 24. The opposite or free end .of one Vof these levers is pivoted at 25 to a block or support v2li which may be of any suitable-shape but is preferably made substantially Ytriangular as .shown in Figure 3,V for holding one end of the smoke stick 2l. The free ends of the other togglearms `24 are pivotedY at 28 to V-shaped blocks or .bearings 29 which are secured to the adjacentends. of the reel .or winding bars 3l).l These barsarepreferably formed'of sheet metal and are also v -shaped in cross section as shown particularly in Figure 3.

Another sleeve or tube Y3l is slidably mounted on the shaft I9 and has a spider at oneend with lugs or projections 32 similar to the spider on the collar 22. Toggle arms 33'are pivotally connected at 34 to the lugs 32 land one of these arms t is connected at 35 with .the support 26, the other arms being pivoted at 36 to the blocksY 29. A

spring 3l is interposed between the spiders Vand Vtends to move the toggles to collapsed position as shownin Figure 1.

The sleeve 3l also has another spider 28 at its outer or free end with lugs or projections 39 which are pivotally connected-at 40 with arms 4I. TheV outer end of one of these arms is pivoted at 42 to a block or-support 43 which is similar tothev block 26 Vand serves to ycarry the opposite end of the smoke stick :27.4 The other arms 4I are pivoted at 44 to V-shapediblocks 45 which are connected with the adjacent ends ofthe V-shaped reel members 3D. A

The blocks 26 and 43 are connected by a 1ongitudinal bar 46. The blocks 26 and 43 are provided respectively with spring clips or holders 41 and 48 for engagement with the ends of the smoke stick 2l to hold it in position on the blocks, as shown in Figure 2.

The sleeve or tube 3l may be adjusted longitudinally of the shaft i9 and held in adjusted position by means of a spring finger 49 having a pin 50 for engagement with holes 5l in the shaft as shown in Figures 1 and 2. One of the bars 30 is provided with a clip or fastener 52, as shown in Figures 4 and l0, for holding one end 53 of the sausage casing 54 or a string which may be tied around such end.

The standard lengths of sausage or frankfurter links are 4, 41/2, 5, 51/2 and 6 inches. In the commercial form of my machine the holes 5l are spaced so that when the catch or detent 5U engages with the respective holes the distances between the outer edges or apexes of the reel bars and between the smoke stick and adjacent reel bars will correspond to these lengths, and Figures 2, 3 and 4 may be considered as showing the reel adjusted for measuring links six inches long.

In the operation of the ldevice an elongated filled casing 54 is arranged on the table 55 on which the machine is mounted and one end of the casing or the string 53 for tying the same is caught in the clip 52. The reel is then revolved until the casing engages with the next succeeding bar 35, which thus measures the proper length of the link, and the operator then makes a twist, or preferably two complete twists, in the casing in the usual manner as indicated at 56, and then again moves the reel forward another length to measure another link, again twists the casing and proceedsl with such operation until the reel is filled substantially as shown in Figure 5, with the smoke stick in the uppermost position. I-Ie then holds the smoke stick in one hand and releases the catch or detent 49, which permits the spring 31 to collapse the toggles and move the longitudinal bars inwardly so that the completed string of sausage is freed from the reel but remains suspended on the smoke stick as shown in Figure 6. The bracket or bearing I3 is then swung around to open position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 7, and the smoke stick with the sausage supported thereon is removed from the reel and may be carried to the Smoke-house 0I' placed wherever desired.

From this description it will be seen that my improved machine provides convenient means for the manufacture of link sausages and the links are measured with suicient accuracy to insure a uniform product such as desired in the manufacture of articles of this character. While I have shown a commercial form ofV my invention, changes may be made in order to adapt the same for different kinds of sausage or for different conditions, and therefore I do not wish to be limited to the particular form shown and described except as specified in the following claims, in which I claim:

l. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a base, bearings on said base, a shaft carried by said bearings, longitudinally movable supports on the shaft, a plurality of bars pivotally connected with said supports and movable toward and away from the shaft when the supports are moved longitudinally of the shaft, a smoke stick detachably secured to one of said bars, and means for holding said supports in predetermined positions on the shaft.

2. In a sausage measuring and supporting apparatus, the combination of a bearing, a shaft rotatably mounted in the bearing, collars for holding the shaft against longitudinal movement in the bearing, a spider secured to the shaft adjacent to the bearing, a plurality of arms pivotally connected with the spider, longitudinal bars pivotally connected with said arms, a tube slidably mounted on the shaft, spiders on the ends of said tube, arms pivotally connecting Said bars with said spiders, a spring interposed between the first named spider and one end of the tube and tending to move the tube to bring the bars into collapsed position, a detent yieldingly mounted on the outer end of the tube and coacting with recesses in the shaft to hold the tube in adjusted position, and a movable bearing for supporting the opposite end of the shaft.

3. In a machine for use inmaking link sausages, the combination of a base, a bearing secured to the base, a shaft mounted in said bearing, collars for holding the shaft against longitudinal movement, a sleeve secured to the shaft adjacent to the bearing, a plurality of projections on said sleeve, a plurality of sausage supporting bars arranged longitudinally of the shaft, toggle links pivotally connected to said bars and to said projections, a tube slidably mounted on the shaft, projections at one end of the tube, toggle links pivotally connected with said projections and with said bars and coacting with the first named links for supporting the inner ends of the bars, a spring on said shaft interposed between the collar and the tube for moving the tube outwardly on the shaft, projections at the opposite end of the tube, links pivotally connecting said lprojections with said bars, a spring secured to said tube, a pin on said spring which engages with recesses in the shaft for holding the tube in adjusted position, a movable bearing for the adjacent end of the shaft, clips on one of said bars for holding a smoke stick, and a clip on another bar for holding one end of the casing which is to be applied thereto.

4. A device as per claim 3 in which the bars are of substantially V-shape in cross section, and the pivotal connections to the links include V- shaped bearing blocks.

5. A device as per claim 3 in which one of the bars is provided with triangular supports at the ends for engagement with the smoke sticks and said supports have springs which engage with the ends of the sticks for detachably holding the same in position.

6. An apparatus for use in connection with measuring and linking sausages, comprising a collapsible reel having longitudinal bars, means for supporting the reel, means for adjustably positioning the reel bars in predetermined radial positions, a smoke stick, and means for detachably securing said stick to one of the reel bars, the arrangement being such that the casing may be wound around the reel and the links formed thereon While the reel is in extended position, and the reel may then be collapsed and the casing removed on the smoke stick, as described.

CRIST LISBERG. 

